For a show like ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' that's [[LongRunners been around for a while]] and has gone through many changes (some good, some bad), your gauge of Awesome really depends on what era you watched and/or loved.

----* Probably the most awesome thing about ''SNL'' is the fact that the show has been on the air for nearly 40 years, survived many things that would have taken down lesser shows (ExecutiveMeddling, SeasonalRot, [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks cast and crew changes]], [[WhoWritesThisCrap weak writing]], controversial moments, criticism over racial and gender equality in the cast, and fair-weather fans who will drop the show the minute it does something that misfires), and, for better or worse, is considered great entertainment, and has adapted to this current era, where people are finding their sketch show fix online and on cable rather than on free-to-air TV. On an E! special about the show's history, LorneMichaels has stated that the show has lasted for as long as it has because it reinvents itself with talented cast members and writers.* Will Ferrell's character pretends to have a Vietnam flashback and ends up singing (and maraca-ing) the entirety of ''Goodnight Saigon''. Violinists come in from nowhere, Green Day casually steps into the background, and by the end of the sketch Ferrell's accompanied about fifty other people (celebrities, the whole cast [at the time], previous cast members, famous hosts, one of which was Artie Lange from the original cast of ''Series/{{MADtv}}'', which had reached the last episode at the time of the season 34 finale of ''SNL'') singing with perfectly straight faces and doing various ridiculous things like playing along on unplugged ''GuitarHero'' controllers. There's the sense that everyone turned out because Ferrell's a legend — they all walk offstage at the end one by one as the song tapers off. It's so overdramatic that it breaks the walls of Narmy and Silly entirely and loops back around to Epic. It's already listed on the main page as CrowningMusicOfAwesome, but this is also what a Moment of Awesome looks like.* One famous episode had Music/{{Aerosmith}} joining in on the ''WaynesWorld'' sketch along with guest host Creator/TomHanks.** Speaking of Creator/TomHanks, his showing up during a Celebrity Jeopardy skit, playing an utterly moronic version of himself, prompting Trebek (Will Ferrell) to sadly comment, "I had such high hopes for you"* September 29, 2001: The first live show after the 9/11 attacks, with host Creator/ReeseWitherspoon and musical guest Music/AliciaKeys. After honestly paying tribute to the rescue people by bringing them on stage, Lorne Michaels talks with then-Mayor Rudy Guiliani. The following exchange may not seem like much now, but really went far in breaking the unease over the "Is it TooSoon to relax a little while still remaining respectful for the lives lost?" feeling everyone was going through:-->'''Lorne Michaels''': Can we be funny?-->'''Mayor Guiliani''': Why start now?[[note]]Though that can also be taken as a burn against the commonly-held belief that ''SNL'' either never was funny or it used to be funny, but it fell off years ago and is only around as lat-night filler, but given the context the quote was in, it was more of a rallying call for America to try and regroup after 9/11, but remember the lives lost and the people who tried to help that fateful day[[/note]]** What really makes this awesome is how Giuliani says the opening catchphrase: "Live, from '''''New York''''', it's Saturday Night!".* Elvis Costello returning to the show after being banned following his gig on the Christmas 1977 show (hosted by an old woman named Miskel Spillman, who won a contest where viewers got to pick an average person to host an ''SNL'' episode) where he played "Radio Radio" (which, at the time, was rejected for being anti-media). His return, taking place on the show's 25th Anniversary special, consisted of sabotaging the Beastie Boys' performance of "Sabotage" before they all played a rendition of Costello's "Radio Radio".* In one of Buck Henry's episodes, John Belushi accidentally cut his forehead with his very real samurai sword towards the end of the "Samurai Stockbroker" sketch. After the commercial break, Henry appeared with a bandage over the cut. The show lampshaded the incident by having all the other cast members wear identical bandages on the same spot for the remainder of the show, as well as writing up a quick "newsstory" for Weekend Update: "Buck Henry was attacked with a sword by a coked-out John Belushi on a late-night comedy sketch show."* This exchange by Creator/ChrisFarley and Music/PaulMcCartney:-->'''Chris Farley''': Uh...remember when you were in Music/TheBeatles? And, um, you did that album Abbey Road, and at the very end of the song, it would...the song goes "and in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make"? You...you remember that?-->'''Paul [=McCartney=]''': Yes.-->'''Chris''': Uh...is that true?-->'''Paul''': Yes, Chris. In my experience, it is. I find, the more you give, the more you get.-->'''Chris''' (''ecstatic, starts to point at Paul and mouth "AWESOME!"''): Well, that's it for this week's show...* September 28, 1991. The Reverend Jesse Jackson (appearing as himself, as opposed to being impersonated by a cast member) reads "Green Eggs and Ham" in honor of Dr. Seuss, who had just passed away. He did it in the speaking manner he would have used were he speaking about racial injustice, or delivering a sermon.* Betty White hosting the Mother's Day episode in 2010 all thanks to a Facebook campaign. It's considered one of the best current episodes of the series.** And the cast tribute to her with them singing the theme song to ''TheGoldenGirls''... which starts as a CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming, before very suddenly [[MoodWhiplash whiplashing into]] a ''thrash metal'' cover of the same song, which featured cast members getting attacked by the mosh pit and Jason Sudeikis [[PassThePopcorn recording the chaos on his iPhone]].** They also brought in an AllStarCast of SNL's best female cast members, including Rachel Dratch, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph, Molly Shannon and Ana Gasteyer.* The Ed Helms/Paul Simon episode -- home to, not only the brief return of the TV Funhouse cartoon segments, but to the live-action version of ''The AmbiguouslyGay Duo'' (featuring JonHamm as Ace, Creator/JimmyFallon as Gary, Steve Carrell as Big Head, Stephen Colbert as Dr. Brainio, Ed Helms [the episode host] as a Two-Face-esque villain, and Fred Armisen as a lizard man). Also a NegatedMomentOfAwesome, as Robert Smigel confessed during an interview with AV Club in 2010 that this was supposed to be one of many feature films based on a recurring character from ''SNL''.* From the May 14, 2005 show hosted by Will Ferrell, Queens of the Stone Age performing "Little Sister" with backup from Gene Frenkle, Will Ferrell's character from the legendary Cowbell skit.* Colin Quinn's opening speech from his first time hosting Weekend Update After Norm [=MacDonald=] was fired, comparing himself to a new bartender who was hired in place of an old favorite who was recently terminated.* Horatio Sanz' tribute to Mr. Rogers after he passed away. It doubles as a {{Tearjerker}} and CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming as well.* The musical performance from December 1998. Vanessa Williams, Luciano Pavorotti, and the Harlem Boys Choir delivering a GLORIOUS rendition of "O, Come, All Ye Faithful", sung in Latin and English.* The hiring of Kenan Thompson, the first ''SNL'' cast member to be born after ''SNL'' premiered and the first one to have gotten his start on a kids' show (specifically, a Nickelodeon one).* In November of 2009, Creator/JosephGordonLevitt performed an homage to Donald O'Connor's performance in ''SinginInTheRain'', pulling off an energetic performance of "Make 'Em Laugh" -- complete with the two backflips off the walls.** Also, the second time he hosted, when he recreated the "It's Raining Men" sequence from the movie, ''MagicMike''.* The entire 1992 Presidential campaign, with Dana Carvey pulling double duty as both [[UsefulNotes/GeorgeHWBush Bush Senior]] and Ross Perot. The high water mark of political satire the show ever pulled off.* Big Bird's appearance on the Daniel Craig/Muse episode. Made more awesome by the fact that they didn't have to write anything dirty or outrageous for him to be funny; they just let him be his childlike self.* BrunoMars pulling off a decent ''SNL'' episode, despite the fact that he admitted in the monologue that he's never done comedy or acting of any kind.* Jimmy Fallon's musical performance at the beginning of his episode. The entire cast of ''SNL'' dancing stands out in particular.** Fallon admitting that his {{Corpsing}} ruined a lot of sketches. It's awesome because he admitted and embraced a fault that made a lot of people hate him when he was on the show.** From the same episode, the Weekend Update where Creator/AmyPoehler, Creator/TinaFey, JimmyFallon and SethMeyers all go against each other in the Joke-Off. Poehler's entrance in particular generated much applause.*** So much so that when Fey enters immediately after her, even though she can be seen mouthing phrases like "It's on!", it's nearly impossible to hear her because the applause was so loud.** Really, Fallon's performance all throughout the episode can be considered its own Crowning Moment. After so many years of people deriding him for his {{Corpsing}}, he ended up returning to participate in one of Season 37's most-acclaimed episodes. In his A.V. Club review, David Sims comments that Fallon's infectious energy that annoyed people during his tenure on the show actually served him well as a host, as it helped to spread an atmosphere of fun and excitement. It's as though Fallon's hosting allowed him to come full circle with SNL, especially when one recalls the CallForward Alec Baldwin made in 1998 (he accurately predicted (as a joke) that Fallon would host the Christmas episode of 2011). To cap it all off? Fallon won an Emmy for "Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series" in 2012 thanks to the episode.* Season 38's season finale has one in saying goodbye to Stefon, Bill Hader's burnt-out ClubKid character and Weekend Update's city correspondent (and, by extension, Bill Hader, as he announced earlier in the week that season 38 was his last season on the show). In it, he grows tired of Seth Meyers' dismissive attitude toward his club recommendations and announces that he's getting married to "someone who loves him for him". Seth, realizing that he truly loves Stefon, sprints to the church where the wedding is taking place (a ShoutOut to ''TheGraduate''), and calls out Stefon's name. At this point, we see that Stefon's fiance is Anderson Cooper (who gets hit in the face like he did in the Digital Short where Andy Samberg and Pee-Wee Herman have a drunken night out) and that [[ContinuityNod all of Stefon's guests are the weirdos and freaks he mentioned in the past]]. Seth and Stefon proceed to escape from the wedding, with Ben Affleck (that night's host, and [[CallBack who previously hosted the first episode Stefon ever appeared in]], playing his brother) seen in the crowd cheering Hader's character on to "follow his heart". It ends with Seth and Stefon returning before the Weekend Update audience to massive cheers, embracing as Seth signs them off, while [[ContinuityPorn several recurring characters from the last few years]] (like Bobby Moynihan's [[DrunkenSong Drunk Uncle]], Kenan Thompson's [[GratuitousFrench Jean K. Jean]], Fred Armisen as [[BlindIdiotTranslation David Paterson]], Cecily Strong's [[BrattyTeenageDaughter Girl You Wish You Hadn't Talked To At a Party]], and Jason Sudeikis' [[SatanIsGood Devil]]) shower them with rice. Truly a fine farewell to Bill Hader and his most iconic character.* Steve Martin sings "King Tut". In fact, [[http://snltranscripts.jt.org/77/77r.phtml that episode]] - which had the Blues Brothers performing as musical guest, Martin wordlessly dancing ''terribly'' with Gilda Radner, and classic appearances of Theodoric of York and the Wild And Crazy Guys - was considered and probably still is one of the best nights the show ever produced.* "Lazy Sunday". The day after it aired, it ''blew up'' the Internet, made YouTube ''the'' must-visit video site (before NBC made their deal with Hulu) with thousands scurrying to watch what everyone else was hailing as "awesome," got ''SNL'' out of the slump it was in from 2002 (when Creator/WillFerrell and Ana Gasteyer left) to late 2005 (when Bill Hader, Andy Samberg, and Kristen Wiig were brought in and when Jason Sudeikis went from being a writer to being a cast member) and pushed Lorne Michaels to look to Internet-based sketch troupes and humor site owners and contributors for new talent along with finding talent at The Groundlings, Second City, Upright Citizens' Brigade, and the world of stand-up.* October 27, 1990: The "[[ChippendalesDancers Chippendales]] Auditions" sketch with Creator/PatrickSwayze and Creator/ChrisFarley was most likely Farley's WinTheCrowd moment on SNL.* The final Janet Reno Dance Party sketch, with the real Janet Reno making a surprise appearance. Janet Reno actually flew out on her last day in office to specifically appear in the bit. The best thing about the appearance, and the sketch as a whole, is that Janet Reno loved the entire sketch, as she said that it caused young people to approach her and ask her about it, giving her a brand new audience. * WilliamShatner's (in)famous "[[http://snltranscripts.jt.org/86/86hgetalife.phtml Get a Life!]]" skit from his 1986 appearance.* A sketch from the Creator/JimCarrey-hosted episode in season 40 where Vanessa Bayer hosts a costume contest. Carrey and Kate [=McKinnon=] must settle their differences with a "Chandelier" dance-off, which extends right into the crowd. The audience goes wild as Carrey and [=McKinnon=] dance around the studio, past Lorne Michaels, Iggy Azalea (also dressed accordingly), and finally right back into the sketch.* Creator/MikeMyers Returning as [[AustinPowers Dr. Evil]] interrupting the ColdOpen (which was supposed to be "A Very Somber Christmas with Sam Smith"), so he could personally deliver TheReasonYouSuckSpeech to North Korea, The Sony Hackers and Sony for the fiasco surrounding the movie ''Film/TheInterview''. * The 40th Anniversary special. ----